Altruism in medical education: assessing attitudes of hospital in-patients towards face-to-face contact with medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Limited research indicated patients were largely amenable to seeing medical students pre-pandemic. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the potential risk of nosocomial transmission and harm to patients from students. Patient opinions regarding these risks remain unexplored, which impacts elicitation of informed consent. We aim to identify these, and explore whether reflection on the risks and benefits of direct student interaction influenced patients' attitudes. For guidance, we further explored measures to reduce perceived infection risk. METHOD: We designed an original questionnaire for a cross-sectional study, completed by 200 inpatients from 25 wards between 18/02 and 16/03/2022 at Derriford Hospital, Plymouth. Patients in intensive care, with active COVID-19 infection or unable to comprehend the study information were excluded. The responses of a guardian were recorded for inpatients under 16. 17 questions were included - the initial question, reporting willingness to talk with and be examined by students, was repeated following nine questions exploring risks and benefits of student interaction. A further four questions addressed reducing the perceived infection risk. Data is summarised using frequencies and percentages, and with Wilcoxon signed-rank and rank-sum tests of association. RESULTS: 85.4% (169/198) of participants gave an initial positive response to seeing medical students, and despite a third of participants changing their response 87.9% (174/197) remained willing after the survey resulting in no significant change. Furthermore, 87.2% (41/47) of those who perceived themselves at severe risk of harm from COVID-19 remained happy to see students. Participants reported reassurance knowing students were: fully vaccinated (76.0%); wearing masks (71.5%); lateral flow test negative within the last week (68.0%) and wearing gloves and gown (63.5%). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the willingness of patients to engage in medical education despite recognised risks. Patient reflection on the risks and benefits of student interaction did not significantly reduce numbers willing to see students. Even those perceiving a risk of serious harm remained happy to have direct student contact - a demonstration of altruism in medical education. This suggests informed consent should include discussion of infection control measures, risks and benefits to patients and students, and offer alternatives to direct inpatient contact.

Assessment of the appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing in an acute UK hospital using a national audit tool: a single centre retrospective survey.

INTRODUCTION: Antibiotic use drives antibiotic resistance. The UK antimicrobial resistance (AMR) strategy aims to reduce antibiotic use. We aimed to quantify excess antibiotic use in a district general hospital in south-west England. METHODS: Medical patients discharged in August 2020 who had received antibiotics were included. An audit tool of antibiotic prescribing appropriateness was used to collect relevant clinical information regarding each patient case. The appropriateness of antibiotic use was then determined by two infection specialists and excess days of therapy (DOTs) calculated. RESULTS: 647 patients were discharged in August 2020. Of the 1658 antibiotic DOTs for the 184 patients reviewed, 403 (24%) were excess DOTs. The excess antibiotic DOTs were prescribed in 92 patients (50%); 112/403 (27.8%) excess DOTs originated at the initiation of antibiotic therapy (time point A); 184/403 (45.7%) of excess DOTs occurred at the antibiotic review pre-72 hours (time point B); and 107/403 (26.6%) of excess DOTs were due to protracted antibiotic courses (time point C). CONCLUSION: 24% of antibiotic DOTs were deemed unnecessary. The greatest opportunity to reduce antibiotic use safely was the pre-72 hours antibiotic review, which may provide a target for reducing excess antimicrobial therapy in line with the national AMR strategy.

Pleural malignant mesothelioma with metastatic deposition in the tongue.

A 70-year-old man with epithelioid malignant pleural mesothelioma was referred to the maxillofacial surgery department with a painful lesion on the lateral border of his tongue which interfered with swallowing. Physical examination demonstrated a 3 cm firm, non-ulcerated mass on the left lateral tongue, histologically shown to be metastatic epithelioid mesothelioma. MRI of the neck and CT scan of the thorax, abdomen and pelvis scans also demonstrated progressive local and metastatic disease. The patient was not felt to be fit for further treatment. More than 90% of oral cavity cancers are squamous cell carcinoma. All reported cases of metastasis of malignant mesothelioma to the tongue have been of the epithelioid subtype with 10 cases reported in the literature to date. Diagnosis is important as tongue lesions can significantly impact on quality of life and synchronous tongue primaries should be ruled out. Tongue lesions may herald metastases to other extrapleural locations.

Intravascular lymphoma presenting with postural hypotension.

An 84-year-old woman presented with severe postural hypotension. Further assessment revealed weight loss, fatigue and fever at night. On examination, she had bilateral skin lesions on the inner thighs and skin biopsy revealed intravascular high grade B cell lymphoma. This was successfully treated with curative chemotherapy. The cause of the postural hypotension in this case was felt likely to be autonomic neuropathy caused by neurovascular infiltration by intravascular lymphoma. Treatment of the lymphoma has resolved the postural hypotension, although some symptoms of postural instability persist.